From Powerhouse Films comes the Indicator world Blu-ray premiere release of the tense 1957 British thriller, Town on Trial, starring John Mills
John Mills play it tough as no-nonsense Detective Supt Mike Halloran who rubs sundry snobbish small town citizens the wrong way when he tries to crack a murder case involving a tennis club strangler and ends up facing a conspiracy of silence…
Filmed on location in Weybridge and based on a Francis Durbridge story, this is an impressive attempt by director John Guillermin (making his first major movie here) and veteran cameraman Basil Emmott to put a bit of American-style grit into the typical cosy British crime thriller.
Veteran Hollywood character actor Charles Coburn does look a bit out place in suburban Surrey; but not so Raymond Huntley, Geoffrey Keen, Derek Farr, Alec McCowen, Fay Compton and Dandy Nichols, who all seem be hiding something. So, who did kill local glamour girl, Molly?
Mills digs deeper into his character more than the script deserves, there's some genuine excitement, impressive PoV camerawork, a great music score and a nail-biting rooftop struggle ending. This Brit noir is a real gem...
INDICATOR SPECIAL FEATURES: • High Definition remaster, with original mono audio & new English subtitles • The John Player Lecture with John Mills (1972, 96 mins) • Barry Forshaw on Town on Trial (2018, 20 mins) • Adventure in the Hopfields (1954, 59 mins): director John Guillermin’s Children’s Film Foundation drama starring Mandy Miller (The Snorkel) • Shooting Hops (2018, 7 mins): focus puller Alec Burridge discusses working with John Guillermin • Original theatrical trailer • Image gallery • Limited edition collector's booklet
